Busy Doing What?
I have heard people say the secret to a happy retirement is to stay busy. Heck, I have said it myself. But is that true? To be satisfied in our retirement, do we need to keep busy?
And just how busy are we supposed to be? And are there certain things we should be busy doing?
Maybe the real question is, busy doing what?
Each of us has to decide how we view our retirement. Retirement is not a one size fits all kind of thing. And sometimes, the vision we had when we started thinking about retiring may be different once we step into retirement.
My idea of being retired is doing what I want and when I want—and sometimes doing absolutely nothing!
I have to admit that my definition of being busy would be anything that requires me to leave the house. Crazy, huh? But seriously, I like being home. But I also enjoy meeting a friend for lunch or going out to dinner with my husband. And family get-togethers and holidays. And a vacation, of course, is always appealing.
Some retired people out there are constantly busy every day of the week. Going here and going there. Nope, that's not for me. Yes, there are some weeks when I look at my calendar and realize I am busy almost every day with one thing or another. But you can be darn sure the next week will look completely different.
I don't want every day or week to look the same as the last day or week. I like to do a mixture of things.
I enjoy watching some television, writing a blog post, or reading a good book—all things I can do at home. Things I can do at home are my favorite ways of being busy. I find it relaxing—a nice change from the daily grind of working.
I am not someone who always needs to go somewhere or have something planned. I like to get up in the morning and see where the day takes me. And sometimes, the day ends up with me having a lazy day.
Retirement may be the end of being employed. But it's a brand new beginning also. You have a blank canvas, and you are the artist who will create your vision of retirement. And this is where you decide just how busy you want this new chapter in your life to be. And what is your definition of busy? And what do you want to be busy doing?
Note – Affiliate links may be used in this post. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you if you use my affiliate links.
Everyone's busy is different. If I say I was busy this week reading, I would most likely be on the receiving end of a strange look. Busy? Reading? But if I said I had all kinds of appointments this week, they would most likely nod and offer some sympathy. But as I said, everyone's busy is different.
I have concluded that being busy is good as long as you do what you want to do. So if your plan was to take some classes, travel, garden, or just take it day by day, then that is what you should be doing. Whatever your busy is, get busy doing it!
I love this. It is my kind of retirement. I'm 56 and looking forward to the same in a few years. Our culture is all about overscheduling. Does anyone really look forward to that?